No Motivation to Run? Tips to Get You Out the Door!

It’s hot. You’re tired. You had a long day at work. You’re hungry. Maybe you just don’t feel like it. There can be a million excuses and reasons you have no motivation to run. But my guess is later in the day or the next day you’ll wish you had gone. Especially if you’re training for something or trying to be more healthy and active.

Yep, we’ve all been there. You know that you should do it, but you just can’t seem to motivate yourself. I’ve definitely been there and every time I know that I’ll regret it if I don’t make it out the door. Running just makes me feel better about life in general, so when I don’t do it I have less energy and I’m less perky.

Have you had those moments, too? Need some motivation to run?

So, what do you do when you just can’t seem to get out the door? Here are a few tips to get you motivated and out the door in no time!

1. Put Your Running Clothes/Shoes On

This one almost always works for me. I just put my clothes and shoes on. I tell myself that if I still don’t feel like running after that, I can stay home. But there’s just something about lacing up my shoes, pulling on my shorts, and popping on my visor that makes me feel like a runner again. And that gets my butt out the door.

Sometimes all it takes is a little trigger to get your brain to remember how much you love running. And getting in “runner mode” (a.k.a. putting on your running gear) can be that trigger.

2. Remind Yourself Why You Run

We all have different reasons for running. For me, it’s feeling good about life and keeping my anxiety and depression in check as much as possible. Maybe it’s the same for you. Or maybe you run because you want to be healthy. Or because you want to run a certain distance race. Whatever the reason is, remind yourself of this if you’re having a hard time pointing your feet at the door.

If this becomes a thing, then it might be a good idea to put a visual reminder of why you run somewhere. I have a chalk board over my desk with motivational quotes for running and reminding myself how good I feel after. What can you do to remind yourself? Is there a picture of you finishing a race that can be motivating? Or maybe it’s a picture of a runner enjoying themselves that can serve as a reminder.

Whatever it is, having a visual can help with that motivation to run! (Did you know that we process images faster than text? This can make a visual reminder so powerful!)

3. Schedule it into Your Day

If you’re someone who likes making lists or schedules and then checking things off of those lists and schedules, then make sure you add running! If you schedule a time for it and treat it like any other obligation, then you’re more likely to do it.

I hate to see “go for a run” on my list of things to do and not be able to cross it off. If I don’t include it, it doesn’t seem as pressing to actually go do it.

4. Have a Great Playlist Ready to Go

Having some motivational music all ready to go means that you can turn it on as you’re sitting on the couch thinking about skipping your run. My bet is as soon as that music turns on you’ll get pumped for your run. Music can be a mood changer and if you have music that makes you happy and feel more energetic, then you’re more like to make it out the door and have motivation to run.

Plus, when you listen to music as you run, you can star in your own music video (in your head, I mean)! Often when I’m listening to the right song, I’ll picture myself dancing along to it (am I the only one?) with a lot of energy and that pushes me to run.

5. Give Yourself a Reward

What do you want to do for yourself after you run? Giving yourself some kind of reward can be a great incentive to lace up those shoes and get out the door! If it’s just one run, it might be something like a bubble bath or a glass of wine or snuggling up with a good book (or your cat!). Whatever it is, make sure it’s something that you really want to do, but will only let yourself do if you actually go for a run.

If you have motivation trouble on a somewhat regular basis, then consider setting larger rewards for more runs. If you set a goal of running four times in a week, for example, after two or three weeks give yourself a larger reward. New shoes? A movie night? This will push you to meet larger running goals.

6. Just Go for a Run

Ok, so I know this one might seem a little weird given that you might not want to go for a run. But if you don’t make not running an option, then you’ll just have to go for a run. Simply not giving yourself the option to skip the run means that you’ll get out the door and feel pretty darn good about yourself!

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What kinds of things make you not want to run? And then how do you find motivation to run when you just don’t feel like it?

Share below so we can all get some new tips on getting our butts (and the rest of us) out the door!

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Hi there!

I’m Kristie – distance runner, educator, and lover of all things blue who is just looking to spread my love of running and fitness. I’m always looking for more virtual running partners. I hope you stick around a bit!

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